1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to plumbers' tools of the type used to remove and clean away obstructions formed in and blocking waste lines. More particularly, the apparatus of the invention embodies an elongated coil spring wire which surrounds a flexible tube that functions as a water conduit. Affixed to the free end of the tube is a uniquely designed spray jet head assembly for controllably spraying jets of water under pressure into the interior of the waste line in a direction toward the blockage cutting component of the device to assist in breaking down the obstruction. The apparatus also includes a small video camera which is connected to the spray jet head to permit inspection of the waste line being cleaned.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
A wide variety of waste line clean out devices have been suggested in the past. Normally the prior art waste line clean out devices embody an elongated clean out member known as a plumbers' snake. The plumbers' snake is ordinarily housed within a drum or hollow housing having an opening through which the spring or snake is fed and retracted actually of itself as the container is rotated. For tools having power operated spring advancing and retracting means, the feed mechanism for advancing the coiled spring typically includes jaws, rollers, segmented nuts or like structures which grip the spring so that when the spring is fed through the feed while being rotated it is controllably advanced into or retracted from the sewer line. As a general rule, cutter means affixed to the free end of the plumbers' snake and functions to cut away and clear blockages formed in the sewer line.
A very successful prior art waste clean out apparatus is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,242 issued to the present inventor. This patent concerns an apparatus similar in some respects to the apparatus described in the present application, but does not contemplate the use of either high pressure water jets for aiding in the clearing blockages, nor does it contemplate means for visually inspecting the interior of the waste line. as the cutting means cuts through an obstruction formed in the water lines. Because of its pertinence to the present invention, U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,242 is hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein.
U. S. Pat. No. 4,312,679 issued to Klein, Sr. describes a device for cleaning clogged pipes which includes an elongated flexible tube, a heavy coil surrounding the flexible tube and a nozzle at one end of the flexible tube. The nozzle has a plurality of perforations which are in communication with the interior of the flexible tube and which are oriented radially of the flexible tube. Unlike the apparatus of the present invention, the Klein device is specially designed for use in a method of cleaning a clogged pipe wherein the nozzle is first forced through the material clogging the pipe, water is then discharged through the perforations in the nozzle, and the nozzle is then pulled backwards towards the material clogging the pipe while water continues to be discharged through the perforations in the nozzle.
Other prior art patents which generally relate to clean out tools commonly known as "water snakes" are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,370,599 issued to Ciaccio; 1,803,425 issued to Cunningham and 3,880,176 issued to Horne.
In addition to waste line clean out devices discussed in the preceding paragraphs, various devices have been suggested for inspecting the interior walls of the sewer line. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,288 issued to Olsen. This apparatus uses electro-mechanical systems for inspecting the inside of pipes for defects and obstructions and more particularly discloses a push cable that mechanically and electrically connects a video camera head to a push reel and video circuit. The push cable of the device comprises an elongated, resiliently flexible push member and an elongated signal transmitting cable. In use, the video camera which is disposed proximate the free end of the push cable, permits visual inspection of the walls of the pipe as the push cable is pushed along the length of the pipe.
In addition to providing means for visually inspecting the interior walls of the waste line being cleaned, the novel apparatus of the present invention includes a unique high pressure jet water spray head which cooperates with a cutting element to remove obstructions in the waste line as the coil spring is urged forwardly of the waste line due to rotation of the drum housing which houses portions of the coil spring and in conjunction with the feeding mechanism.
Experience has shown that the use of strategically directed high pressure water jets materially assist in breaking up and clearing away troublesome obstructions. At the same time, the high pressure water jets function to effectively clean the walls of the waste line after the obstruction has been cleared to an extent to permit free flow of the cleaning water outwardly of the waste line. Since it is important that the spray jet nozzle and the cutting tool work in cooperation to effectively break up and clean away the obstruction so as to prevent the undesirable backup of contaminated water, means must be provided to selectively interconnect various types of cutter devices to the device at a location proximate the high pressure water jet head that is affixed to the free end of the coiled spring.
The novel water jet head assembly of the invention includes a spray jet head having a plurality of water jet passageways that are angularly disposed relative to the axis of the waste line so that they will direct a plurality of high pressure water jets in the direction of the cutter component as the cutter component cuttably engages the obstruction in the water pipe. The water jet head also includes a reduced diameter portion having a plurality of helical grooves which comprise the means for interconnecting the coil spring with the water jet head.
Removably affixed to the spray jet head assembly of the apparatus of the present invention is a unique video camera component which is interconnected with an elongated electrical or fiber optic signal transmitting cable. The transmitting cable is uniquely housed within the water supply conduit that supplies water under pressure to the water jet nozzles of the spray jet head assembly. Portions of the coil spring which carries the water conduit, the optical signal transmitting cable and the power cable are housed in a rotatable drum having a conoidal wall through which the coil spring is fed and retracted actually of itself as the container is rotated.
The inboard end of the coil spring which houses the high pressure water conduit, the signal transmitting cable and the power cable is interconnected with a novel swivel assembly which, in turn, is interconnected to the drum that houses portion of the coil spring assembly. This novel swivel assembly, which permits water under pressure to be continuously supplied to the water conduit housed within the coiled spring also embodies a plurality of novel electrical interconnection means which permit power from an external source to provide to the video camera. Additionally, the swivel assembly permits signals from the video camera to be transmitted to a stationary viewing monitor disposed proximate the clean out apparatus.